Yusuf Hammash
Appearances
This American Life
861: Group Chat
I always keep saying I should have taken my sisters out with me. I shouldn't listen to any objection. Despite that they couldn't do it, they have their children. I should have tried more at least.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
Whenever something happened, the first thing that came to my head, I should have taken everyone.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
You know for sure? The area where they live, it's not far from Kamal Edwan Hospital in the northern part of Gaza. And then recently this military campaign was mainly in that area. And all of that area was lived. And honestly, for the northern part of Gaza where I am from and all my relatives, it's impossible that any house still standing there.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
I don't know. Daily life, complaining or making fun, sending, I don't know. Sometimes it's jokes, sometimes they're crying. It depends. Voice, text, photos, everything. This is like the refuge for them where they go. More of the sisters are talking and my mother and we just observe.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
I don't know. She was refusing to leave yesterday and then it became night. Then, okay, it wasn't safe to move. So I said, okay, let's see until tomorrow. Then in the night, everything changed.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
The last message at 2 a.m. Inshallah, everything's fine and we'll meet soon. It's like, you know, changing nice messages. Then at 3.15, she texts me, I cannot breathe, I cannot see anything, and she sends this video.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
I panic and I keep calling, no phone calls. Waking up Hiba and Hadil trying to call there or call Alaa. Alaa, so we can call her husband. She's texted 3.18 a.m. They bombed the house next to my house. It's full of dead bodies. Most of the house collapsed. Everything collapsed on us. Pray for us. And she asked, pray for us that this night... And then she didn't respond. Yeah.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
Yeah, it's not the first time that they go through this, this, they go through it a lot and she never reach out when she know that nothing I can do. I'm outside, especially at 3am. That's quite serious.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
Exactly. If it's available, it's very, very expensive. But mostly, you cannot find it.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
Yeah, I was talking to her today, but it's just actually, I feel useless. Her daughter is crying, which is a year old, crying because there is no bread. There is nothing she can feed her. Even all what I can do being an outsider now, all what I can do is send money or just secure money, but it's not enough anymore.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
Even words are not helpful anymore because they are finished. I used all the words and... I think I need to start to find other languages, but hopefully it's going to be fine. It's going to be a matter of days, hopefully. You know, all what I can do is just to be supportive.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
It's useless anymore. Even saying them became like something stupid. I didn't know what to say, to be honest. Okay, in Arabic language we have حَسْبِ اللَّهُ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيلِ Okay, we're really of the guard against them. All these words became useless. Even these words that we were using all of our life to calm each other became meaningless because even using it became unfair.
This American Life
861: Group Chat
It's really painful when you communicate with anyone from Gaza. It's really, really painful.